1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fuel system for a marine vessel and, more particularly, to a fuel system that is disposed within a container which is removably attached to a hull of the marine vessel and disposed between a fuel tank and an engine of the marine vessel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of fuel systems are known to those skilled in the art of marine vessels and marine propulsion systems. In a typical application of a marine propulsion system, the fuel system uses a low pressure pump, or lift pump, to draw fuel from a fuel tank and provide that fuel to a high pressure pump which pressurizes the fuel and directs it to the marine engine. In some applications, the low and high pressure pumps can be located within a fuel reservoir that serves as a fuel vapor separator. The fuel vapor separator is typically mounted to the engine. In some applications, relating to outboard motors, the fuel vapor separator is attached to a drive shaft housing of the outboard motor. Various types of fuel reservoirs, fuel pumps, and fuel vapor separators have been developed by those skilled in the art and used in various combinations to provide a fuel system for a marine vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,896, which issued to Sheridan et al. on Jun. 21, 1983, discloses a lubricating system for a two-cycle engine. The invention provides a remote oil tank to supply oil to an oil reservoir mounted on a two-cycle, crankcase compression engine such as used for outboard motors. Crankcase pressure may be used to pressurize the remote tank to move the oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,118, which issued to Slattery et al. on Jul. 11, 1989, discloses a dual fuel pump and oil fuel mixing valve system. A marine propulsion system with an outboard engine has an oil-fuel mixing valve within the engine cowl. A first crankcase pressure driven fuel pump delivers fuel from a remote fuel tank to the mixing valve and a second crankcase pressure driven fuel pump delivers mixed oil-fuel from the mixing valve to the engine. The arrangement provides adequate fuel pressure to overcome the added pressure drop across a reduced size mixing valve, all fitting within the engine cowl.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,283, which issued to Garms et al. on Jul. 18, 1989, discloses a marine engine with combination vapor return, crankcase pressure, and cooled fuel line conduit. A marine propulsion system includes a two-cycle water cooled crankcase compression internal combustion engine including a vapor separator, a remote fuel tank, and a fuel pump in the tank for delivering fuel to the engine in response to crankcase pulse pressure. A combination conduit between the fuel tank and the engine includes a first passage communicating crankcase pulse pressure from the engine to the fuel pump in the tank, a second passage supplying fuel from the pump in the tank to the engine, a third passage returning fuel vapor from the vapor separator at the engine back to the tank, a fourth passage supplying cooling water from the engine towards the tank, and a fifth passage returning water from the fourth passage back to the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,903, which issued to White et al. on Nov. 10, 1998, discloses a fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine. The system has an electronically controlled fuel injection system and eliminates the need for a vapor separator. The system pumps an excessive amount of fuel through a plumbed fuel supply loop and cools recirculated fuel to cool all the components in the plumbed fuel supply loop.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,287, which issued to Wickman et al. on Jun. 26, 2001, discloses a fuel delivery system for a marine engine. A fuel pump is housed within the structure of a portable fuel tank. The inlet of a pump is located at the lower portion of the tank and an outlet of the pump is connectable in fluid communication with a flexible conduit. An opposite end of the flexible conduit is connectable in fluid communication with a fuel system of an outboard motor. A water sensor and a fuel level sensor can be provided in conjunction with the pump and attached to the pump in certain embodiments.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,742, which issued to Wickman et al. on Jul. 3, 2001, discloses a fuel supply method for a marine propulsion engine. The method uses a lift pump to transfer fuel from a remote tank to a vapor separator tank. Only one level sensor is provided in the vapor separator tank and an engine control unit monitors the total fuel usage subsequent to the most recent filling of the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,974, which issued to Wickman et al. on Apr. 29, 2003, discloses an engine fuel system with a fuel vapor separator and a fuel vapor vent canister. The fuel supply system provides an additional fuel chamber, associated with a fuel vapor separator, that receives fuel vapor from a vent of the fuel vapor separator. In order to prevent the flow of liquid fuel into and out of the additional fuel chamber, a valve is provided which is able to block the vent of the additional chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,603, which issued to Wickman et al. on Mar. 4, 2003, discloses a fuel supply system for a marine propulsion device. The system includes a reservoir that defines a cavity in which first and second fuel pumps are used. The first fuel pump is a lift pump which draws fuel from a fuel tank and pumps the fuel into the cavity of the reservoir. The second fuel pump is a high pressure pump which draws fuel from the cavity and pumps the fuel at a higher pressure to a fuel rail of an engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,955, which issued to Griffiths et al. on Feb. 24, 2004, discloses a marine engine with primary and secondary fuel reservoirs. The fuel supply system comprises first and second fuel reservoirs connected in fluid communication with each other. The first fuel reservoir is a fuel vapor separator which has a vent conduit connected in fluid communication with a second fuel reservoir. Under normal operation, fuel vapor flows from the fuel vapor separator into the second fuel reservoir for eventual discharge to the atmosphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,953, which issued to Torgerud on Apr. 13, 2004, discloses a fuel vapor separator with a flow directing component within a fuel recirculating flow path. The fuel system provides first, second, and third reservoirs of a fuel vapor separator and first, second, and third pumps to cause fuel to be drawn from the fuel tank and provided to the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine. A flow directing component is provided to inhibit recirculated fuel from mixing directly with fuel within the fuel vapor separator that has not yet been pumped to a fuel rail. The flow directing component receives recirculated fuel and also receives fuel from a second reservoir through an orifice formed through a surface of the flow directing component.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,580 discloses a marine fuel system with a Peltier-effect device. The marine propulsion device is provided with a thermal electric device connected in thermal communication with fuel as it flows through the fuel system of an engine. The thermal electric device can be a Peltier-effect device that uses electric current to cause heat to flow from a cold portion of the Peltier-effect device to a hot portion of the Peltier-effect device. A secondary heat exchanger removes heat from the Peltier-effect device. As a result, heat is removed from the fuel in order to inhibit the creation of a vapor lock condition in association with the engine.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.